Rubio says Starlink access in Ukraine is up to Musk, not White House
Elon Musk reportedly ordered a slowdown of Starshield, a military-grade version of Starlink that Ukraine relies on to defend against Russian missile attacks.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio clarified on Wednesday that the decisions surrounding Ukraine's access to Starlink are determined by SpaceX and its CEO Elon Musk, not the White House. This statement came after reports indicated that SpaceX CEO Musk had ordered the slowdown of Starshield, a military-grade version of Starlink, relied upon by Ukraine to defend against missile attacks from Russia.
Rubio emphasized that the matter was governed by a private commercial contract regarding the use and speed of the service. He stated that no one within the US government was aware of this decision beforehand, though it's unclear whether Musk himself was responsible. The White House's involvement in the matter remains a topic of speculation, with differing claims from various officials.
Rubio's comments are expected to heighten concerns in Washington regarding Musk's influence on US foreign policy, signaling a potential shift in the administration's stance.
Written by urgent.news from Free Malaysia Today's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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